New Brazilian Play 'The Passion According to Janair' Reimagines Clarice Lispector’s Classic for the New York Stage

Group Dot BR’s Off-Off-Broadway premiere at HERE Arts Center transforms a literary classic by placing an Afro-Brazilian maid at the heart of the story

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This fall, Group Dot BR, New York’s only Brazilian theater company, brings a daring new voice to the city’s cultural stage with the Off-Off-Broadway premiere of The Passion According to Janair. Inspired by Clarice Lispector’s landmark novel The Passion According to G.H., the production shifts the spotlight to Janair—the Black maid whose quiet departure sets Lispector’s narrative in motion—placing her at the center of the story.

The Passion According to Janair is presented as part of HERE’s inaugural HERE Hosts series, an annual program showcasing new work from extraordinary artists, ensembles, and independent companies working across disciplines, featuring artists who share values alignment and strong creative kinship.

Portrayed by acclaimed Brazilian actress Ana Carbatti and directed by Andressa Furletti, Janair steps forward to speak directly to audiences—her testimony transforming a sidelined character into a model of resilience and empowerment. “Through Janair’s voice, we confront the realities of invisibility and labor that echo not just in Brazil but across the world. By giving her presence, we transform absence into visibility and silence into expression,” said director Andressa Furletti. In Lispector’s original novel, Janair’s existence is revealed in fragments— her room, her absence. On stage, these fragments are reassembled into a living narrative, evoking the harsh conditions of domestic workers: small, dimly lit rooms, undervalue labor, and systemic inequities.

The Passion According to Janair highlights the intersections of race, class, labor, and gender, bringing Lispector’s existential questions into urgent dialogue with today’s struggles for equity and visibility. The play resonates deeply with domestic workers worldwide—whose labor sustains households yet whose dignity is too often denied.

The production premieres November 6, 2025, and runs through November 23, 2025, at HERE Arts Center, SoHo (145 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10013).

Tickets are available at: www.group.br.com/janair

This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by LMCC - Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and through a collaboration with HERE Arts Center's HERE Hosts program.

Ana Carbatti (Actress & Playwright): Ana Carbatti is a renowned Brazilian actress whose dynamic career spans over three decades across theatre, television, and film. A graduate of the prestigious Casa das Artes de Laranjeiras and the University of Rio de Janeiro, Ana has trained with acclaimed directors and performance collectives, including Tarak Hammam, François Kahn, Teatro Tascabile di Bergamo, and Teatro Potlach, building a foundation of artistic excellence that continues to define her work. Her stage performances have earned widespread critical acclaim and nominations for Brazil’s most prestigious theatre honors, including the Prêmio APTR and Prêmio Shell for Best Actress—the Brazilian equivalent of the Tony Awards. She was also recognized with the Mambembe Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Novos Talentos Award for Best Actress. On screen, her powerful lead role in Os Inquilinos (The Tenants), directed by Sérgio Bianchi, garnered multiple Best Actress awards at international film festivals in Brazil and Portugal. Ana's recent theatrical work highlights her dedication to socially engaged storytelling. In Ninguém Sabe Meu Nome (No One Knows My Name), a solo performance co-written with Monica Santana and currently touring SESC theaters, she gives voice to the intimate struggles of a Black mother navigating systemic racism in Brazil. She continues this exploration of silenced narratives as the lead actress and co-writer of The Passion According to Janair, a one-woman show produced by Group Dot BR in New York City. In this bold reinterpretation of Clarice Lispector’s The Passion According to G.H., Ana centers the voice of Janair—the Black maid whose perspective is often ignored—offering a profound meditation on race, class, gender, and narrative power. With a multifaceted career that bridges continents and mediums, Ana Carbatti remains a vital voice in contemporary Brazilian arts—fiercely committed to crafting performances that provoke, illuminate, and transform.

Andressa Furletti (Director & Playwright): Originally from Brazil, Andressa Furletti is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Group Dot BR, NY’s only Brazilian theater company (www.group.br.com). Her artistic works include stage and film acting, performance art, art installation, visual arts, and film. Her inspiration comes from her degrees in Biology, Filmmaking, the acting conservatory training at Stella Adler Studio, and many workshops and intensives such as the Mitu Thailand Artist Intensive in Bangkok, the Watermill International Summer Program coordinated by Robert Wilson, and works with the French company Pantheater. Andressa received several awards including Best Multimedia Show at the United Solo Festival in New York for her debut solo theater show free•dom - a solo of many people, the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Brazilian Community Heritage Foundation, five awards in international film festivals for Separation Sonnet, nine nominations for her performances and artistic creations and the Best Actress Award from the Brazilian International Press Awards. Her visual arts and performance arts works have been in over 20 physical and virtual exhibitions.

About Group Dot BR: Group Dot BR’s mission is to present the “calor” and diversity of Brazilian culture through the performing arts. By using avant-garde, physical, choreographic, and contemporary theatre as tools, Group Dot BR engages a multicultural community with a forward-thinking approach to its “presencial” and online programs. As the only Brazilian theatre company in New York, it supports artists by creating a bridge for exchange beyond borders and holds up Portuguese as a heritage language.

About Here Arts Center: Since 1993, HERE Arts Center has been a leading force in New York’s cultural landscape, producing bold, multidisciplinary works in theatre, dance, music, puppetry, media, and visual art. Based in Lower Manhattan, HERE nurtures diverse artists, challenges conventions, and offers accessible performances. Under Co-Directors Jesse Cameron Alick, Annalisa Dias, Lanxing Fu, and Lauren Miller, HERE fosters inclusion, equity, and sustainability for artists and audiences alike.

Adriana Aristizabal
iVoice Communications
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